Commercials are something that most people tend to tune out.
When they’re bombarded by ads every day, it’s only natural that people become unaware of them.
However, now and then, there’s a commercial or a series of commercials that are written in such a way that viewers can’t help but notice and enjoy them.
The “Jake From State Farm” ad campaign was one of those.
As its titular subject, you may wonder how much Jake earned from his role in the commercial.
How Much Does Jake From State Farm Make?
The original Jake made around $10,000 for his role as himself in the commercial.
The character of Jake was a real-life State Farm agent named Jake Stone.
He ended up winning an in-company competition to star in the commercial.
His ability to meekly reply to what he was wearing was a hit for the company and viewers.
The commercial saw a lot of success and even ended up resulting in a Twitter profile for the character of Jake.
Looking to capitalize on the character, State Farm’s advertisers eventually ended up hiring an actual actor to take over the role.
Kevin Mimms joined the team and took over the role of Jake, including reshooting the famous “Jake from State Farm” scene.
Mimms has earned between $10,000 and $15,000 for his ads.
He’s also an influencer on social media and has a net worth of $2 million.
Who Is Kevin Mimms?
Kevin Mimms is an actor who wasborn in Chicago, Illinois on July 5th, 1990.
He attended a local school in Chicago before attending the Chicago Academy for the Arts.
At college, he studied theatre and acting and would eventually graduate in 2008.
He’d go on to further his studies at Webster University.
At Webster University, he studied theatre and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
His journey then took him to Los Angeles where he started to land TV roles.
Besides having a role in Criminal Minds, he’s also been in Monica and Innocent.
Mimms is likely best known for his role as Jake in the State Farm ads.
He replaced the former State Farm employee in the role and has carried it since.
Besides acting, Mimms is also active on social media.
He’s an influencer and even performs some of his Jake from State Farm bits on Twitter and Zoom.
It’s through his acting and influencer career that he’s been able to generate a net worth of $2 million.
What Happened To The Original Jake From State Farm?
While Kevin Mimms may have replaced the original Jake, some fans are wondering what became of Jake Stone.
Jake eventually ended up quitting his job at State Farm.
He wanted to focus on his other job of bartending.
He’s also pretty active on social media, particularly Instagram, where he makes throwbacks to State Farm now and then.
The relationship between him and State Farm has remained positive since he returned to play the role of Jake when handing the baton over to Kevin Mimms as the new Jake.
Although Jake Stone no longer works at State Farm, the company will likely always have a special place in his heart.
Why Did State Farm Replace Jake?
One of the biggest questions people have is why State Farm decided to drop Jake and replace him with someone else.
A common misunderstanding is that they thought State Farm was replacing an actor.
This isn’t the case.
Jake Stone was a real employee from State Farm who just so happened to win the company’s competition for the starring role in the commercial.
The company hoped that the ad might find some success, but they hadn’t planned on it having the success that it did.
Jake from State Farm became a viral success before a time when going viral was a big deal.
As such, the company knew it needed to pursue this brand of marketing to reach more people and bring them into the company.
An individual who isn’t trained to act professionally or be a spokesperson wasn’t going to cut it.
That meant that Jake Stone needed replacing.
He resumed his position as an agent at State Farm until he decided to quit and pursue his other career as a bartender.
State Farm decided to hire an actor to take over the role.
They chose Kevin Mimms because they believed he had the right charisma, look, aura, and overall vibe of the Jake character.
He also had professional training as a spokesperson.
The actor not only needed to be ready to film a number of commercials in a short amount of time, but he also needed to be ready to play the character on social media.
Mimms’s history as a social media influencer likely also helped him earn the role.
To better understand why they replaced the character of Jake from State Farm, here are a few key factors.
1. Eloquence
One of the reasons actors get paid for commercial ads is that they’ve trained their ability to speak.
They know how to carry their voices and make themselves sound sympathetic or excited.
For untrained actors, it’s easy to lose clarity or presence when you’re also acting.
Professional actors have gone through extensive training to be able to control the various aspects of their voices.
That’s important for an ad when you only have a few seconds to nail down a pitch.
If the audience can’t hear or understand you, then the commercial isn’t going to be successful.
State Farm knew this when they decided to expand the marketing campaign with the character of Jake.
They needed an actor who could eloquently explain why State Farm was the right choice to make while being charismatic and clear.
Kevin Mimms was the right choice for them because he’s eloquent.
2. Attraction
Ads often use attractive actors because it helps generate interest from their audience members.
They’re more likely to pay attention to what’s going on if they find the actors attractive.
This is also why marketing strategists try to use celebrities when it makes sense.
The use of celebrities in ads can build better brand awareness and trust.
Since a lot of people trust what celebrities say, they also trust that they’re telling the truth about the products that they’re representing.
State Farm knew that a normal individual like Jake Stone wasn’t going to become a heartthrob overnight.
He had a special place in people’s hearts, but if they wanted to do more with the character, then they knew they needed to bring in a pretty face.
They found that face in Kevin Mimms.
Mimms has the sort of face that generates trust and positive feelings.
When it comes to branding, everything is about looks.
The actor who took over the role of Jake was going to become the new face of State Farm.
They chose Kevin Mimms because they believed he had the right appeal, look, attractiveness, and overall physicality to be the face of State Farm.
3. Availability
Being an actor means you need to be ready to shoot when your contract says you need to shoot.
State Farm intended to grow the Jake character beyond just TV.
They wanted him present on all social media accounts including Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
This means that they needed an actor who had knowledge of those platforms and how to perform on those platforms.
Kevin Mimms was a natural fit since he already had a strong social media presence.
As an influencer, he understands what works and doesn’t work on social media.
It also helps him as a performer.
While someone else might write the scripts and Tweets, he’s the one performing in the stills and videos.
He’s the one delivering the lines in a way that he knows will be popular.
An untrained individual likely wouldn’t have the know-how or the availability for the type of content that State Farm needs to produce.
If they weren’t an actor, then they’d have other obligations that might keep them from the rigorous filming schedule State Farm needs.
Jake Stone, for example, would have to fit in all those shoots between his bartending and other responsibilities.
A professional actor receives pay to attend a shoot.
That is their only responsibility, so they make sure that they are available for it.
State Farm hired Kevin Mimms because he knows and understands the kind of availability requirements expected of him as an actor in a spokesperson role.
4. Celebrity Coworkers
State Farm likes to partner with celebrities for its ads.
Drake and Aaron Rogers are just some of the big names that have appeared in their ads before.
One of the reasons they needed to replace Jake with a professional actor is the celebrity coworkers the actor would sometimes need to work with.
A regular person might be a little starstruck or unable to play off celebrities.
Professional actors can since they’re used to rubbing elbows with celebrities all the time.
They’re also aware that creating an ad is a business.
The celebrity is there to make some money just like the actor.
That puts them on even ground.
State Farm wanted an actor who had experience working with celebrities already.
Kevin Mimms has acted in a few TV shows before his appearance in the State Farm ads.
As such, he already had the experience of working alongside celebrities.
He seemed like a natural choice to take the role of Jake and play the part of a spokesperson alongside celebrities.
State Farm needed a professional actor to be able to handle working next to celebrities.
When Did Jake From State Farm Get Replaced?
Kevin Mimms replaced the original Jake in 2020.
The original Jake was a real State Farm insurance agent named Jake Stone.
In 2020, State Farm decided to bring back the iconic character with a professional actor.
To ensure the person playing Jake could meet their standards and expectations, the company decided to hire professional actor Kevin Mimms to take over the role.
How Much Do Commercial Actors Make?
A lot of actors have dreams of living in LA or Hollywood and walking down the red carpet.
However, not everyone makes it big.
It’s also why you often see the same names in movies every few years.
Movie studios like to choose actors who they think fit the role of the character and will bring in audiences.
If the movie features someone like Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey, Jr., Meryl Streep, or Gal Gadot, then they can count on certain fans showing up to support them.
The problem is that this makes it even more difficult for new actors to break into the business.
As a result, many of them end up settling for acting in commercials.
These are actors who act in either local or national TV ads.
The problem with becoming a commercial actor is that you can’t star in too many of them.
Many marketing strategists want their ads to feel real to their audiences.
They want their audiences to be able to suspend belief and think that these people on the TV are them.
When they can believe that, it’s easier to sell a product to them because they believe that they can improve their lives, too, by buying that product or signing up for that service.
However, for some commercial actors, being able to switch between different companies every few years can be a lucrative career.
The average salary for a commercial actor is $60,145 a year.
That breaks down into being around $28 an hour.
Some commercial actors only make $12,000 a year, however, and some of the best commercial actors end up earning $210,000 a year.
These are more likely the actors who can get a recurring role with a company like Kevin Mimms with State Farm.
What Celebrities Started In Commercials?
There are several big-name celebrities today who started in humble roles in TV ads.
Here are some celebrities who started in commercials.
1. Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez became a household name when she first emerged on Disney.
She’d go on to start a singing career and star in some other independent films and shows.
Before all that, she was an actress in small-time TV shows.
She also starred in a commercial for shrimp.
2. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio has been filming for most of his life.
While he’s won Oscars for some of his performances, he can trace his roots back to the small screen.
He filmed ads for several companies including Bubble Yum, a bubblegum company.
3. Ryan Reynolds
Another big name that’s seen a few blockbuster hits under his belt is Ryan Reynolds.
Although he’s known for his comedic role in his films, he had his start way back when he was a teenager.
In the early 1990s, he was a commercial actor for Push Pops.
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